SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State looks to complete a sweep of its Big Sky-Summit Challenge games this weekend, hitting the road to take on Omaha on Saturday (Dec. 7) at Noon PT.

GAME #10
WHAT: Sacramento State (6-3, 0-0 Big Sky) at Omaha (5-4, 0-0 Summit League)
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024
TIME: Noon PT
WHERE: Omaha, Neb.
ARENA: Baxter Arena
WATCH: Summit League Network
LIVE STATS: OMavs.com

GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Omaha | Big Sky | Summit League

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
• Members of the Big Sky Conference and Summit League on both the men's and women's sides face one another on the court over the course of the next week in the second-annual Big Sky-Summit Challenge
• The two conferences will play a total of 36 games with each school getting a home game but, due to an uneven number of members between the two conferences, four Big Sky programs will only play in one game
• Victories will be weighted differently, with the winners earning one point for their respective conference for a home win and 1.5 points for a victory on the road
• The conference with the most total points between the combined games will be declared the winner
• Should their be a tie, the conference with the highest total margin of victory will earn the win
• Following Wednesday's first leg of games, the score is tied at 10.5 apiece
• Last season, the Summit League claimed the inaugural trophy via tiebreaker (2,654 total points for the Summit to 2,552 total points for the Big Sky) after the two conferences tied with 21.5 points each
• The Summit League won the women's competition, 13.5 - 8.5, while the Big Sky won the men's, 13-8

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
• Omaha enters this weekend's contest with a 5-4 record and has been rolling as of late, winning its last four straight following a 65-57 road win at Portland State on Wednesday night
• The Mavericks are 2-1 at home this year, but haven't played there since a 79-77 overtime win over Utah State to start their four-game winning streak
• All four of Omaha's wins during its streak have come by eight points or fewer
• Senior guard Grace Cave is the lone Maverick in double figures, averaging 12.8 ppg to go with 4.6 rpg and shooting .389 from the field
• Freshman center Harriet Ford is averaging a team-high 8.6 rpg to go with 8.3 ppg, shooting .500 from the field

SOMEWHERE IN MIDDLE AMERICA
• Saturday marks the Hornets' first-ever trip to the state of Nebraska for women's basketball and the first meeting against a school from the Cornhusker State
• Sacramento State Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff is a Norfolk, Neb., native 

CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 10-14 against the current Summit League alignment, having faced seven of the league's nine current members
• The Hornets have previously faced Denver (0-3), Kansas City (3-3), North Dakota (6-4), North Dakota State (0-1), Oral Roberts (0-2), St. Thomas (0-1), South Dakota State (1-0)
• However, all 10 meetings with North Dakota came between 2013-18 when both the Hornets and Fighting Hawks were members of the Big Sky Conference
• Of Sacramento State's 24 all-time games against Summit League opponents, only three have come while they were members of the Summit League -- Oral Roberts and St. Thomas during last year's Challenge, and Kansas City on Wednesday

THIS IS PERFECT... PERFECT, PERFECT, PERFECT
• Every week feels like we're going to jinx this, but freshman Sofia Alonso can't miss from the line to start the year
• The Spaniard has opened the year a perfect 22-for-22 -- the most in the Big Sky entering the week -- from the charity stripe following her 2-for-2 performance against Kansas City on Wednesday night
• Alonso is one of only four players in the NCAA that are still perfect from the line (as of Dec. 4), ranking third on the list behind Saint Louis' Peyton Kennedy (38-for-38) and Indiana's Yarden Garzon (24-for-24)
• Lamar's Sabria Dean (19-for-19) is also perfect
• Alonso's streak is believed to be tied for the sixth-longest in the program's Division I history and is the longest by a Hornet player since Camariah King went 22-for-22 in between misses from Dec. 6, 2019 at Seattle U to Jan. 11, 2020 at Weber State

CONSECUTIVE FT MADE STREAKS (Division I Era)
Erika Edwards - 30 - 2/28/09 to 1/24/10
Brianna Burgos - 25 - 11/24/14 to 3/7/15
Brianna Burgos - 24 - 12/29/15 to 2/13/16
Gretchen Harrigan - 23 - 12/13/15 to 12/29/15
Jasmine Cannady - 23 - 2/21/09 to 12/13/09
Sofia Alonso - 22 - 11/4/24 to Present
Camariah King - 22 - 12/6/19 to 1/11/20
Takara Burse - 22 - 3/8/14 to 11/18/14
Kerri Dunn - 22 - 11/26/99 to 12/7/99
Sarah Stapp - 22 - 2/11/95 to 3/11/95

JUST WIN, BABY
• The Hornets haven't just been winning to start 2024-25, they've been winning BIG
• All six of Sacramento State's victories have been by double figures -- four of those by 27 points or more
• The Hornets' last eight triumphs dating back to last season have all been by double digits -- a run that includes a 16-point win at Northern Arizona (Feb. 15) and an 18-point win over Idaho State (March 9) in 2023-24
• Sacramento State's 39-point triumph over Wagner on Sunday (Dec. 1) was the largest since a 59-point win over Pacific Union on Dec. 19, 2019, and the largest against a Division I opponent since a 48-point triumph over Portland State on Jan. 23, 2016
• The 78 points in the win over Jessup were the most in a season-opener for Sacramento State since an 88-85 win over Cal Poly to tip-off the 2018-19 campaign
• Meanwhile, the 88 points in the win over Lincoln University were the most by the Hornets since a 96-88 loss against Idaho on Feb. 22, 2020

START ME UP
• Sacramento State's 6-3 start to the 2024-25 campaign is the program's best since the Hornets opened the 2022-23 season with a 7-2 record through nine games en route to a Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament
• This year's start marks only the fifth time in the program's Division I history that Sacramento State has opened with six wins in its first nine games: 1992-93 (6-3), 1993-94 (6-3), 2013-14 (8-1), 2022-23 (7-2)

JAYDIA'S JUMPIN'
• Senior Jaydia Martin was on a heater against Kansas City on Wednesday night, finishing with a Sacramento State career-high 31 points -- 22 of those in the second half to help the Hornets pull away
• Martin's total was just two points shy of her collegiate high of 33 points set against Montana on Jan. 16, 2023, during her sophomore year at Eastern Washington
• She became the first Sacramento State player to go for at least 30 points in a game since Kahlaijah Dean had 35 against Montana State on Feb. 23, 2023
• Martin's night marked her third-straight double-digit performance -- and her fourth in her last five games, averaging 14.0 ppg in that stretch while shooting .410 from the field overall 
• Her 31 points are also the most in the Big Sky this year (as of Dec. 5), while her 11 makes from the field are tied for the most with two other players
• Martin, who played all 40 minutes against the Roos, scored 12 points in the third and 10 more in the fourth, marking only the third and fourth double-digit scoring quarters by a Hornet this season
• Her 12 points in the third are the most by a Hornet in a quarter this year

"BLOCK"-LYN TAYLOR
• Freshman post Brooklyn Taylor made her presence known at both ends of the floor on Wednesday against Kansas City, scoring a career-high 12 points at one end, while adding to her team-high total with two more blocks at the other
• Of Taylor's 10 blocks this year, seven have come in the last three games (2.3 bpg), including four against Wagner on Dec. 1 -- the most since Summah Hanson finished with four against Eastern Washington on Dec. 30, 2023
• The four blocks are also tied for the most by a Big Sky player this season, matching Montana State's Ella Johnson, who swatted four shots against UCF on Nov. 29
• She is one of four Big Sky players with double-digit blocks entering the weekend, trailing Montana State's Ella Johnson (13) and Northern Arizona's Sophie Glancey (13)
• Taylor ranks tied for fifth in the league with 1.11 bpg
• Meanwhile, she hit 6-of-8 from the field and added six rebounds en route to her 12-point night in 19 minutes -- her second double-digit scoring game of the year

SHOOTING THAT SHOT LIKE 2K
• Sacramento State's offense was red-hot on Wednesday night, shooting a season-high .566 from the field -- including a 71 percent clip in the second half, hitting 10-of-13 in the third quarter and 7-of-11 in the final 10 minutes
• The performance was the highest for the Hornets since they shot .568 against Santa Clara on Nov. 29 of last season
• It was the second time this year that Sacramento State has made at least half its shots in a game, joining the .545 against Lincoln on Nov. 10

PUT A LID ON IT
• Sacramento State limited Kansas City to a .299 field goal percentage in Wednesday's victory, holding the Roos to just 20 percent shooting in the first quarter and 27 percent in the fourth en route to the win
• The defensive stand marked the second straight game -- and the third time overall this year -- that the Hornets have held an opponent to under 30 percent from the floor
• Earlier in the week, Sacramento State's 34 points allowed to Wagner on Dec. 1 were the fewest in the program's Division I history and the fewest by a Sacramento State opponent since a 78-29 win over Concordia College on Nov. 22, 1990
• Of those 34 points scored by the Seahawks, only 15 of those came in the first half -- the lowest-scoring first half by a Hornet opponent since Northern Colorado trailed, 24-15, at the break on Jan. 6, 2007
• Overall from the field, Wagner shot just .245 (12-for-49) for the game, which stands as the lowest by a Hornet opponent since Pacific Union shot the same percentage in the aforementioned 2019 meeting and the lowest in the program's Division I history
• Prior to making the jump to the Division I level, one would have to go all the way back to Feb. 12, 1991, to find a lower percentage by a Sacramento State opponent as the Hornets held Cal State East Bay to just .239 (16-for-68) shooting in an 81-38 win

DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)... DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)
• Sacramento State enters the weekend ranked third in the Big Sky in scoring defense at 57.44 ppg and is outscoring opponents by 11.11 ppg (fourth in the league)
• Opponents are shooting just .351 overall against the Hornets, which is second in the Big Sky, while the .321 against from three-point range ranks sixth in the league
• Nationally, Sacramento State's field goal defense ranks No. 30 in the NCAA
• The Hornets have also surrendered the second-fewest rebounds in the Big Sky entering the weekend (32.11 rpg)

PAINTING A PICTURE
• Sacramento State dominated the paint on Wednesday night, scoring 48 of its 74 points inside en route to the win
• The 48 points in the paint marked the second-highest total for the Hornets this season, trailing only the 58 points against Lincoln University on Nov. 10
• Wednesday marked the sixth time in nine games that Sacramento State has held the advantage in paint scoring this season

FOUR!
• Along with Martin's 31-point effort, junior Benthe Versteeg (12), Taylor (12), and Lina Falk (10) also finished in double figures for the Hornets against Kansas City -- improving them to 5-0 this year when they have four or more players with 10-or-more points

DOING THE DISHES
• Versteeg's 38 assists again have her among the top five in both assists and assists per game in the Big Sky and also have her moving up the program's all-time list
• Following Wednesday night's six-assist performance, Versteeg's 276 career assists rank ninth on the school's career list, standing two behind Alle Moreno (278 from 2010-14) for the No. 8 spot and four back of Tiara Scott (2016-19) for seventh
• Versteeg's career total ranks as the second-most among active players in the Big Sky, trailing only Montana State's Esmeralda Morales (318)

FALK THIS WAY
• Sophomore Lina Falk has picked up right where she left off last year in the scoring department, finishing in double figures in seven of the team's first nine games and leading the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg
• The German has scored double digits in each of her last three contests, averaging 11.7 ppg and 5.00 rpg, while shooting .438 (14-for-32) from the field in that stretch
• Falk became the first Hornet to hit the 20-point plateau this season, finishing with a career-high 20 points on the nose against Long Beach State
• She either tied or set a new career high in scoring three times in the first five games this season and has shot better than 40 percent from the field five times
• Falk's 8-of-10 performance from the field against Lincoln marked the most makes in a game by a Hornet since Benthe Versteeg finished 8-of-14 in a win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15, 2024
• She (along with teammate Sofia Alonso) also has posted at least one steal in eight of the team's nine games, including multiple swipes in four of those
• Falk also collected the first three blocks of the year -- all coming against Kansas City

SWIPER, NO SWIPING!
• After leading the team with 58 steals last season, Versteeg's three against Kansas City on Wednesday marked the fifth time she has posted multiple steals in a game this year, sharing the team lead with Sofia Alonso
• Versteeg's four steals against UC Davis on Nov. 20 marked the fifth time a Hornet has finished with four-or-more steals in a game this season, trailing only teammate Sofia Alonso's five steals at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 14 -- the most in a game by a Hornet since Solape Amusan had five against Weber State on Feb. 10, 2024
• Last year, a Sacramento State player posted four-or-more steals eight times over the course of the season -- five of those by Versteeg
• The Hornets' defense has accounted for 90 steals through the first nine contests this season, ranking third in the Big Sky with 10.0 spg and trailing league-leading Montana State (14.13 spg in eight games)
• The Hornets' nine-game total is well ahead of last year's pace when it took them 15 games to reach 98 steals on the season -- and that included a 16-steal performance at Fresno State to bolster those numbers
• Four Hornets rank among the top 15 in steals in the Big Sky entering the weekend: Versteeg is seventh (1.88 spg), Alonso in eighth (1.67 spg), Jaydia Martin is tied for 12th (1.56), and Lina Falk is tied for 14th (1.44 spg)

ROOM TO BOARD
• Every night it seems like there has been a different hero on the boards for the Hornets as seven different players have combined to lead or share the team lead on the glass in Sacramento State's first nine games
• Versteeg and Martin have accomplished the feat three times each, while Falk, Jaiteh, and Martin have all done it twice. Taylor, Alonso, and Katie Peneueta have also been at the top of list, with one each

GUESS WHO'S BACK... BACK AGAIN
• After missing the first six games of the regular season due to injury, senior Katie Peneueta put an exclamation point on her first appearances of the season at FIU
• The Vancouver, Wash., native finished with six points on a pair of three-pointers in her season debut against Abilene Christian, then lit up Wagner to the tune of a career-high tying 20 points in 29 minutes to go with nine rebounds two days later
• Peneueta finished 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-7 from three-point range against the Seahawks
• The senior's five makes from three-point range were the most by a Hornet since Solape Amusan hit five at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15 last season
• Her point total matched her career-best performance set at Northern Arizona on Feb. 3, 2022, and tied against Montana State a year later on Feb. 23, 2023
• Peneueta's nine rebounds were just two shy of her career high of 11 set against Idaho on Jan. 5, 2023
• After spending last year at NC State helping the Wolfpack to a trip to the "Final Four," Peneueta spent her first two seasons with the Hornets in 2021-22 and 2022-23, averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting .462 from the field, .458 from three-point range, and .795 from the line
• She is currently one of only two Division I players in the NCAA according to a preseason poll of schools across the nation to return to their original university after spending a year elsewhere along with Middle Tennessee State's Courtney Blakely, who spent last season at Arizona

THREE IS MORE THAN TWO
• In 53 career games with the Hornets, Peneueta has made a living from long distance, sinking 134 of her 148 career field goals from beyond the three-point line
• As a freshman, only four of her 60 makes were from closer than 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches while, as a sophomore, she doubled that output, making eight two-pointers out of her 79 total baskets

THE "PEN"-EUETA IS MIGHTIER
• Peneueta stands eight three-point makes away from breaking into the school's all-time top 10, closing in on Sarah Stapp (1992-96)
• Her career .465 (134-for-288) three-point percentage would be a record if the season ended today
• Peneueta's 64 career blocks also rank ninth on the all-time list entering the week, needing three more swats to match Sephora Scoubes (1999-01) for eighth
• She also holds the top two single-season three-point marks in school history, shooting a school-record .463 (56-for-121) as a freshman in 2021-22 and a second-best mark of .455 (71-for-156) in her sophomore season